Sea Tow is a marine assistance provider for recreational
boaters with an “unwavering
commitment to public safety and environmental responsibility.”A franchise business, there are more than 100 locations throughout the
United States, Australia, Europe, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico. Sea
Tow’s sister company, Sea Spill, is a program for environmental remediation in
the case of petroleum spill or other event, so it naturally followed that
environmental sustainability was a key goal when it came to constructing a new
facility.

Prior to occupying the current building, located in
Southold, NY, Sea Tow’s corporate offices were located in a nearby 2,000 square
foot building. As the company grew, the
need for a larger facility manifested, and the team relocated to the new 20,000
square foot building in 2006. These new
offices serve as the new international Sea Tow headquarters and therefore
required the extensive increase in square footage.

The Southold structure occupies land in the rural,
farming area on the North Fork of Long Island in New York, sandwiched between
the Peconic Bay and the Long Island Sound. Until the 1980s, the site was occupied by
lumber, coal and farm supplies storage facilities. It is approximately 3 acres and includes
various other commercial structures. The site is bordered by commercial and
residential zones. It lies 31 feet above sea level and is relatively level.

Among the major deciding factors for locating the
building in its current site is the fact that it is in close proximity to the
prior location. Since many Sea Tow
employees live in the surrounding area, this minimized the impact on their commuting
distance. Other decisions as to the
location of the building included the fact that the site had been previously
developed and that is was located close to the Long Island Railroad, the most
convenient form of mass transit.

Due to the location and purpose of the facility, it was
critical that the building epitomize sustainability. The designers started with a solidly
structured Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) and reinforced concrete building envelope. Not only does the ICF shell offer continuous
& substantial insulation but, because of the coastal location and weather
patterns of Long Island as well as the fact that Sea Tow provides emergency
dispatch services, it is important the facility be able to withstand the most
adverse weather. The concrete
construction is designed to sustain hurricane conditions and winds up to 200
mph.

In addition to the tight building envelope and other
energy saving features, the building features a large amount of recycled and
regional materials. In fact, when it was
practical, Sea Tow decided to have some of its building materials shipped by
rail to take advantage of their close proximity to the railroad station and to
reduce the amount of vehicle miles on the famously congested Long Island
roadways. Since a train station is
located so close to the building, employees are encouraged to use the Long
Island Railroad, carpool, bike or even walk to work, which a fair amount do.

In order to address water use Sea Tow utilizes water
saving fixtures as well as an innovative irrigation system. Cisterns collect rainwater which is then used
for the plantings on the building site. This system allows the mostly native plants to
be watered while eliminating all potable water use for irrigation.

Sea Tow is primarily an office space. It is used as corporate
headquarters for the executive staff and marketing teams and is the center of
communications for the company’s emergency dispatch network. The building also
provides classroom instruction for the extensive Sea Tow training program. The
education doesn’t end with Sea Tow employees, the building is open to the
public where people can learn more about its energy and water saving features
and how they can use them at their homes or places of work. The Sea Tow building is also listed as an
emergency shelter location, made possible by the solid ICF construction, to
help serve their local community. The Sea Tow team shows immense dedication to
their natural and social environments.